Visit Mount Dora - Orlando / Florida Guide
Florida Guide > Places to Visit
Mount Dora, set amongst the citrus groves of Lake County, this town is one of the prettiest Victorian settlements left in the State. It’s name comes from both the relatively high local elevation and the small lake on which it sits. The town was originally known as Royellou, after Roy, Ella, and Louis who were the children of the first postmaster.
Mount Dora’s attractive tree lined streets are laid out on a bluff above the lakeshore, and you can obtain a 3 mile historic tour map from the local Chamber of Commerce. The tour takes a scenic route around quiet neighbourhoods of late 19th Century clapboard homes and the sympathetically restored downtown historic district, with its tempting array of stores, antigue shops and many delightful restaurants and tea rooms.
On Donnelly Street, the splendid Donelly House, which is now a Masonic Hall, it a notable example of ornate Steamboat architecture, adorned with pinnacles and a cupola. Nearby, the small Royellou Museum depicts local history in the old fire station, which later became the town jail.
Take a walk down to the lake and you can hire a boat that will take you around the lake to view all the beautiful homes dotted along the edge of the lake. You can also hire water sports equipment and fishing equipment.
Back into town, we spent a couple of hours wandering round the streets and browsing in the many adorable antique shops. We then found a great cafe/tea rooms and found ourselves upstairs on the balcony just watching the people strolling about and the business men going about their day. There was an Arts & Crafts Festival on when we arrived and we had not realised this but we were fortunate in finding a space to park.
Throughout the year, Mount Dora advertises many different types of markets and festivals. It is generally really busy on these type of weekend events, so you need to get there early so you can find a parking space that is not too far from the main attractions. It is almost like stepping back in time, and if you want to visit an authentic ‘English Tea Rooms’ this is the place to find one.
Why not look Mount Dora up on the internet, it will give you a good idea of what is on, and hopefully list the dates of different events.
It is a very pleasant day out and not too far to travel.
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